bikey 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (121) comment rss

  • On the post: Could The Pirate Party Become A Legitimate Political Force?

    bikey ( profile ), 02 Sep, 2009 @ 01:42am

    Re: renaming pirates as consumers

    Re renaming pirate party as consumer rights party, totally disagree. Consumer rights are finished. They've all become shareholders (you can't have it both ways) and now they don't have any money left to consume anyway. A hasbeen idea if ever there was one.
    If Carla Bruni's pillowtalk idea of three strikes gets off the ground (and it looks like it might now that free speech and due process are struggling for an ever-diminishing air supply) you will see whole nations proud to call themselves pirates - especially when the alternative is to be branded criminals.
    Yes, where do we sign up?

  • On the post: UK Gov't Now Supporting 3 Strikes: Lobbyists Win Again

    bikey ( profile ), 26 Aug, 2009 @ 01:53am

    Re: realistically, it's only logical

    When someone starts a comment with 'realistically, it's only logical', we know we're in for a certain brand of sophistry, usually characteristic of male to female communication, but I digress. Since when is the government in the business of protecting an outworn exploitative sector of the economy (throw in pretty much the UK government protecting a segment of the US economy) by means of clear violation of the rule of law (remember presumption of innocence? due process, etc.? probably before your time). No government has criminalized alleged IP 'offenses'? Where have you been for the last 30 years? This has been a landslide movement emanating from the US and its 'creative' (please) industries and is pretty much mandated (most recently by TRIPS. But wait until Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement rolls into your neighborhood - now that torture is ostensibly legal (because who's going to prosecute?), wouldn't that be the best way to 'find the sources' of these nefarious deeds? If you read the Times of London article this week, you'll know that Peter Mandelson came back with this idea after being wined and dined in Corfu by Geffen, just as Sarkozy got the idea from his music-industry connected bride. Honestly, the cheap date really has become productive. Do wake up, won't you.

  • On the post: Copyright Length And The Life Of Mickey Mouse

    bikey ( profile ), 11 Aug, 2009 @ 11:25pm

    Disney still owns the trademark... When will this ridiculous ruse be set aside. How can Mickey be a trademark? When you see Mickey on a t-shirt, does that mean Disney made the t-shirt? Or anything it appears on? The purpose of trademark has never been more abused than this (and it has been highly abused). It still stands because it is beyond anyone's pocketbook to challenge it. That doesn't make it right, logical, acceptable or 'legal'. With this reasoning, any copyright could morph into a trademark at the end of its life, no?

  • On the post: Is Apple Suggesting That The DMCA Prevents Terrorism?

    bikey ( profile ), 31 Jul, 2009 @ 12:52am

    This is not the first time the pro-IP'ers have tried to link terrorism to IP protection and it won't be the last. 'Piracy funds/supports/is terrorism' has been claimed in re everything from fake bags to DVDs to BSA's 'secret' lobbying of the EU Commission for mandatory ISP data retention (in clear violation of EU privacy law). Next?

  • On the post: Patents Not Enough Of A Monopoly, According To Biotech Firms

    bikey ( profile ), 24 Jul, 2009 @ 01:08am

    As long as lobbies determine laws, deep pockets like pharma will have their way with legislators. It's not rocket science. Yo, consumer (formerly 'citizen'): if you were the concern, you would have health insurance.

  • On the post: Indonesian Artists Refuse Copyright As Being Against Their Religious Beliefs

    bikey ( profile ), 19 Jul, 2009 @ 11:51pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    True, but that can happen even if they give their names as 'authors' to the government. People sue for copyright infringement on things they know they don't own everyday.

  • On the post: Indonesian Artists Refuse Copyright As Being Against Their Religious Beliefs

    bikey ( profile ), 18 Jul, 2009 @ 03:48am

    Re:

    How can regular readers of techdirt still think there is a filing issue with copyright? There is no filing, copyright comes into existence upon the moment the creation reaches it final form. Indonesia is a member of the Berne Convention. This Convention prohibits governments from requiring formalities for protection. The US had to drop its filing requirement upon signing this Convention for this reason. If the original makers of the batik are sued, they need only present evidence (such as a copy of their design mailed to themselves on the day of creation, thus bearing the postmark of the date, which is widely practiced as a way of proving prior creation) that they created it first. Regarding the original article in the Indonesian press, since 'patenting copyright' is meaningless, perhaps this is all about design law (journalists worldwide are stumped by these fine distinctions), which, though overlapping in many countries does provide in most a provision for registration.
    Regional protection, i.e. without using the name of the artist, should be possible where such creations are common, but it has to be in the law.

  • On the post: NPR Plays Spot The Healthcare Lobbyists At Healthcare Reform Hearing

    bikey ( profile ), 09 Jul, 2009 @ 03:55am

    NPR

    Very nice idea. Lobbyists should be exposed wherever they are. Pillary and stock shouldn't be far off either. They make a mockery of whatever is left of democracy and fundamental rights.

  • On the post: A Brief History Of Intellectual Property In China And India

    bikey ( profile ), 02 Jul, 2009 @ 01:03am

    Re: not creative?

    Half of humanity 'not creative'? What a ridiculous thing to say. No facts can convince a person who would willingly put such a statement in writing, but hey, China is pouring money into biotech research, and if you don't think this is creativity, take a gander at Chinese cinema. India not creative? Do you know what Europeans were wearing before they 'stumbled across' Indian textiles, prints, colors, etc.? Brown rags (see Braveheart for a taste of early European aesthetics) that's what. These are just a few of thousands of examples. Please, think before you tap.

  • On the post: Should There Be A Penalty For Falsely Claiming Copyright Over Public Domain Material?

    bikey ( profile ), 27 Jun, 2009 @ 03:22pm

    Re: Mickey Mouse

    Yes, Disney considers Mickey protected by trademark. But think about it - when you see a t-shirt or anything, with Mickey on it, does that indicate that the t-shirt was made by Disney? This is the function of trademark, which is totally inappropriate for protecting a character, as Disney well knew for the first fifty years of Mickey's life. This is a cheap attempt to extend Mickey monopoly in perpetuity, but one which arguably would never survive a court challenge. Again though, who would pay to launch a fight against Disney's army just to use the image of Mickey Mouse (and run the risk of losing, given the propensity of courts to bow to anything claiming to be IP). Better just get yourself another mouse and save the bucks/euros/rubles and rupees for a rainy day.

  • On the post: EFF, Public Knowledge Drop ACTA Lawsuit, Realizing 'National Secrets' Claim Will Block Them

    bikey ( profile ), 18 Jun, 2009 @ 09:55am

    Re: Super Secret Club

    Public support? Since when was that an issue? The 'public' neither knows, understands, nor cares, and 'support', well...

  • On the post: Fashion Designers Realizing New Fashion Copyright Would Cause Serious Harm To Business

    bikey ( profile ), 09 Jun, 2009 @ 10:10am

    fashion

    Yes, at this stage it would be a disaster. But some points to understand: this is not necessarily a copyright issue, but a design protection issue. One important difference: the term is not 70 years, but (if the US follows Europe) 5 years with a potential 4 renewals. I am not a great fan of exaggerated IP, BUT, one reason we have no designers in this country (and why we are terminally addicted to 'classics' (i.e. what my grandmother wore is good enough for me) as opposed to new designs) is that designers flee. All I'm saying is, there is a debate there.

  • On the post: Fashion Designers Realizing New Fashion Copyright Would Cause Serious Harm To Business

    bikey ( profile ), 09 Jun, 2009 @ 10:10am

    fashion

    Yes, at this stage it would be a disaster. But some points to understand: this is not necessarily a copyright issue, but a design protection issue. One important difference: the term is not 70 years, but (if the US follows Europe) 5 years with a potential 4 renewals. I am not a great fan of exaggerated IP, BUT, one reason we have no designers in this country (and why we are terminally addicted to 'classics' (i.e. what my grandmother wore is good enough for me) as opposed to new designs) is that designers flee. All I'm saying is, there is a debate there.

  • On the post: US Trade Rep Promises Transparency… But Actions Speak Louder Than Websites

    bikey ( profile ), 04 Jun, 2009 @ 07:16am

    Re: Mr. Riley

    Yes, 'kick the crap' out of the all thieves (bankers included?). That's a brilliant strategy. Works everywhere. And when US biopirates steal from other countries (basmati, neem, pig genes, etc.), I assume Mr. Riley is all for 'kicking the crap out' of them too, right? Now that kicking the crap out of everyone is legal (Mr. Obama has also decided not to prosecute kickers, among others), why don't we just kick the crap out of everyone we meet, just in case.

  • On the post: US Trade Rep Promises Transparency… But Actions Speak Louder Than Websites

    bikey ( profile ), 04 Jun, 2009 @ 01:06am

    trade agreements

    Rereading the article linked in this, it is sad indeed that here as in so many other areas, Obama has done the opposite of what we had hoped. Staffing the "Justice Department" with RIAA front men and continuing to back the secretive ACTA are just the most obvious examples. What one lawmaker (Dan Durbin, I think) said of the banking industry, ("These guys own the place") is equally applicable to IP types. As the economy continues to tank, the IP lifeline to (pseudo) hegemony, creative costs be damned, can only thicken.

  • On the post: Once Again Privacy Laws And Anti-Piracy Data Retention Laws Conflict

    bikey ( profile ), 27 May, 2009 @ 12:23am

    IPRED

    This conflict has been a done deal for a long time. The European Court of Justice confirmed the 2006 Data Retention Directive that requires data retention last year, in seemingly (the devil is in the details) direct conflict with its own 1995 Data Protection Directive. All 27 EU member states should theoretically implement the Data Retention Directive this year, if they haven't already done so. Privacy rights, friends, are a thing of the past, even in Europe, where they started. To call this Swedish law 'IPRED' (Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive) is a bit of a misnomer though. This term was used to describe a 2004 EC Directive in which the 27 member states agreed to harmonize enforcement, but fell short of the heavily lobbied provisions that such measures include criminal sanctions. RIAA and MPAA lobbies are still lobbying heavily (in an unregulated EU lobbying environment) for prison terms though, so whether the secretive Commission and the unfortunately powerless Parliament will go for it this time remains to be seen.

  • On the post: Can A Sports Organization Claim Copyright On Stuff You Filmed Yourself?

    bikey ( profile ), 27 Apr, 2009 @ 02:28am

    Re: sports copyright

    Thanks for this excellent summary. The situation is the same in Europe - it is the basis of copyright. You can't own a game, only the fixed form of the performance (a related right, along with those of record producers and performers). This is why we are seeing an increasing amount of criminal penalties being enacted for bringing a copying aparatus (camera or recorder) to any kind of performance, including a sports event. It's the only way to stop people from recording their own 'version' of the sports event.

  • On the post: Politicians Defer To Time Warner Lobbyists Who Wrote The Bill They're Pushing

    bikey ( profile ), 27 Apr, 2009 @ 02:20am

    understanding legislation

    Did they understand TRIPS (written by the pharma industry among others)? Did they understand the Patriot Act (silly question, I know, since they didn't claim to have read it as there wasn't time) (written by the torture industry?). They don't write legislation anymore, they sell the right to others to write it. Get over it. It's the American way.

  • On the post: EU Approves Copyright Extension, Despite Evidence Of The Harm It Does

    bikey ( profile ), 27 Apr, 2009 @ 02:07am

    Re: Re:

    And any monkey can sing a song, or wiggle their rear end in front of a camera - it's all 'performance' within the meaning of the act.

  • On the post: EU Approves Copyright Extension, Despite Evidence Of The Harm It Does

    bikey ( profile ), 27 Apr, 2009 @ 02:05am

    Re: Character of the EU

    The EU has kept Europeans for bashing each other (which they previously did whenever the opportunity presented itself) for over 50 years and encouraged millions of people to think beyond their own little cultural pen - that's no small potatoes. The culprits here are US lobbies operating in Brussels and the Commission for responding to them. Calm down anonymous coward.

Next >>